Customs sets July deadline for IT restructure

Australia’s Customs and Border Protection Agency has spent the past month reorganising its 253 IT staff in support of a wider reform to stamp out corruption.

Customs appointed a reform board in December and in January announced two new executive positions – national director support and national director intelligence – with the latter encompassing CIO functions.

A spokesperson told iTnews this week that it had begun restructuring its IT operations on 2 April, with the new structure expected to be in place by 1 July.

The new structure will see Customs’ 253-person IT division split in two, with a majority of staff reporting to acting chief technology officer Megan Kelly.

Kelly oversees two branches – ICT Enterprise Capability and ICT Business Operations – within acting national director support James Watson’s division.

She reports to Watson, as well as the chief executive officer and chief operating officer when required “on matters concerning enterprise-level technology issues”, an agency spokesperson said.

“The CTO will have a strong delivery focus with other support division colleagues,” the spokesperson said.

“[They] will be accountable for ensuring the information and data integrity of the agency’s enterprise systems, and for all associated functions including computer systems, supporting infrastructure, communications networks and the IT service desk.”

Other branches within Watson’s support division are responsible for delivering human resources and business support functions.

A smaller number of IT staff will transfer to acting national director intelligence Terry Wall’s division, and focus on integrating Customs’ information management, intelligence and analytics capabilities.

“The national director intelligence will act as CIO but will have a primary focus on building intelligence and targeting capability,” the spokesperson said.

“These changes have been carefully considered and designed to better position the agency to meet both current and future operational environments.”

No IT workers would be made redundant in the restructure, the spokesperson said.

Former Customs chief information and knowledge officer Joe Attanasio left the organisation earlier this year, at the conclusion of his four year fixed-term contract.